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Discover the Four Corners Region: Things to Do

In addition to the Four Corners Monument — where Colorado’s southwest border meets Arizona, Utah and New Mexico — the area is filled with archaeological sites, remote landscapes and scenic byways waiting to be explored.

ByColorado.com Staff Writer

Updated: 7/27/2017

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Travel to the southwestern-most point in Colorado and you’ll reach the Four Corners Monument, an intersection with the three surrounding states’ borders. The original marker was placed in 1912, and these days a bronze disk embedded in granite identifies the only spot in the U.S. where you can stand in four states at once. Aside from the requisite photo op, pay a visit to the Demonstration Center for jewelry, crafts and food made by Navajo artisans.

Getting to the Four Corners Monument

Arriving by car or RV, the landmark is approximately 45 minutes from Cortez via U.S. Hwy. 160; the drive from Denver to Cortez is roughly seven hours on U.S. Hwys. 285 and 160. If you cross into Colorado from the south on Hwy. 160, you’ll be greeted by one of the rustic-looking “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” signs, which are popular for snapshots.

You can also drive the San Juan Skyway, a 236-mile loop on which you’ll encounter breathtaking views of massive peaks and national forest. Travel through mountain towns like Durango, Ouray, Telluride and Silverton for a taste of the mining era in the late 1800s.

Explore the Region

Visiting this far corner of Colorado also affords the perfect opportunity for a road trip of the surrounding region. Mesa Verde Country is part of the Grand Circle, an area in the Southwest that encompasses portions of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Nevada. Here you’ll find the largest concentration of national parks and monuments in America. From the Four Corners you could venture to Monument Valley, Canyonlands National Park, the Grand Canyon and other attractions across the high desert of the Colorado Plateau.